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- May 2013

15 weeks and 24 pounds
10 May 2013, 19:46

+ April 2013
1 out of 52 out of 53 out of 54 out of 55 out of 5

Side effects - positive and negative.

by redhead on 01 Apr 2013, 14:55

I think the blog feature here is a brilliant idea! There's quite a bit of talk about side effects on the forum so I thought this would be a good place to record my experience after 10 weeks on the 5:2 diet.

I don't have any negative side effects anymore and am hoping that the positives (losing weight, feeling great) will continue.

SIDE EFFECTS
Most of the negative side effects I experienced disappeared after about a month:

At first fasting did make me feel slightly odd. Nothing unbearable though. On the first few fast days I noticed a tightening if my jaw in the evening, but that subsided by about mid February. I also noticed the vague and not unexpected feeling of an empty stomach on fast days. It's pretty easy to ignore. I like to think of Kate Moss's quote occasionally - 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' which reminds me that the occasional empty stomach is a good thing to be enjoyed. I did, and still do, get an unpleasant tasting mouth, mainly because I smoke and drink coffee, and just drinking water doesn't take away the stale taste.

One other thing I noticed early on was that I got very small, very slight sort of palpitations. Like a tiny flutter in the base of my throat. That disappeared after about a month.

I also got foot cramps. I'm prone to them when I'm cold, tired or hungry. It's annoying and probably a sign I should do some more exercise. I've never enjoyed the gym or doing exercise other than what I need to do to live my life the way I like to - walking to the bus, dancing, shopping. I like to walk in the summer, but during the cold months I like to stay inside. I do intend to build in a bit more exercise, particularly resistance to flight the flab and tone up. But I have noticed that the foot cramps have gone. Haven't had one for a few weeks now. Might be the weather getting (slightly) warmer, but I also think the weight loss has helped my circulation.

At first I did think about food and had a few cravings. Especially for chocolate which I don't usually eat all that often, although I do think I was quite addicted to carbs - I eat a lot of bread/ pasta and would favour a new potato over a pork chop. Now, after 10 weeks, I don't think about food at all when I'm fasting. I'm definitely losing the sugar craving now. The fasting has helped me tune into a varied diet as I come to better understand hunger and appreciate what I put into my body.

Positive side effects that I've noticed are:

The fast days have definately taught me a lot about being hungry, when it's real/ habit/ temptation/ psychological (eating to make myself feel better)/ boredom related and so on.

I look forward to other things on fast evenings now rather than a big meal. It's really taught me about my reward system and that I enjoy other things in life than just food.

I've lost a stone in weight! This weekend (end March) a friend I haven't seen for a while noticed I'd lost weight. Amazing feeling. Felt super great!

I feel fantastic mentally. Alert, I wake up fresh and ready to go in the morning.

Before fasting I had a very bloated tummy and could put on 4 pounds between morning and evening. By the end of the day my clothes were tight and I'd have a fat, bloated middle. I always thought it was water retention. Fasting has stopped that completely.

Extra weight makes you feel uncomfortable. You need to adjust your clothes all the time to sit down, cover up flabby bits and so on. I also found I felt quite nauseous if I got too fat, like the weight was pulling at me, dragging me down. Losing weight makes you feel free and comfortable.

So my advice to others is stick at it for at least a month and minor side effects will disappear as your system adjusts. The really positive benefits of noticeable weight loss and improved mood kick in a couple of weeks later.

redhead

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